Maria Ahmed investigates historic and contemporary languages of the image through collage and appropriation, with a practice encompassing photography, books and moving image. She is a selected artist for the Wrong Biennale 2025-6, the world’s largest biennale of digital art. Her recent artist’s film, Epistemologies, was screened by Turku Video Arts festival in Finland in March 2025. Maria’s self-published artist’s books have been shortlisted for international book awards, including Images Vevey, Belfast Photofestival, Skinnerboox/ Fotografia Europea and Fiebre. Maria’s interactive moving image work The Smooth Space is the Habitat of the Nomad was commissioned by Format photography festival in 2022, as part of Kipya Ki (What’s New?).

INSTA @maria_a_ahmed

The Doughnut(W)hole group show, curated by Kim Shaw for the Wrong Biennale, online and in London, November 2025-March 2026

AARK 10 Dialog group show, Galleria Aski, Turku, Finland, curated by Renja Leino and Lilli Haapala, 2025

De-constructed,  B-Part Exhibition, Berlin, group show curated by the Photographic Exploration Project, 2025 

Infinite Index, artist’s publication for ABC mail art project Pushing the Envelope - 99g curated by Lucy Helton at the National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park, 2025 

Epistemologies artist’s film screening as part of Garden of Humanities, curated by Lily Haapala and hosted by video art festival Turku Art House, Finland, at Kino Kilta, 2025

Poetics of Error, group publication by Marie Molins (forthcoming)

Participant, Offprint London, Tate Modern, 2024/5

Participant, Peckham 24 A Bigger Book Fair, 2024/5

Artist in residence, AARK Finland, Korpo, 2022/3/4/5

Featured project, Philosophy and Photography Lab, 2024

Participant, Inventory Art Book Fair, 2024

Participant, Format Print Market, QUAD Derby, 2024

Pecha Kucha, Ambika P3 gallery, 2023

Participant, artist’s book workshop, Backbone Books, Berlin, 2023

Artist’s talk with Lucy Soutter and Sarah-Jane Field, Photofusion, 2023

Slips and Burns - solo exhibition, Photofusion, 2023
Curator: Katy Barron

TRACE Mentorship artist’s development scheme 2022-3 (online) 

Format 22 Artist’s panel discussion with Ibby Azab, 2022 (online)

Format 22 multiplayer exhibition Kipya Ki? (What’s New?) 2022
Curators: Ibrahim Azab (UK) & Trevor Mukholi (Uganda) (online)

Select 21 Artist’s talk with Katy Barron, Photofusion, 2022 (online)

Select 21 Photofusion group show, 2022

Participant, London Creative Network 2021-2 (online)

Photofusion Salon group show, 2021

I Didn’t Lick it, Bruton Correspondence School, 2021 (mail art)

Source Graduate Photography Online, 2020

Awards:

Shortlisted Bloomberg New Contemporaries, 2025

Shortlisted Belfast Photofestival, 2022

Shortlisted FE+ Skinnerboox Book Award, 2022

Shortlisted Fiebre Dummy Award, 2022

Shortlisted Images Vevey Book Award, 2021

Photofusion Select Award, 2021

Photofusion Graduate Prize, 2020


Texts:

Slips and Burns, Caroline Molloy, 2023, Photomonitor

Mixed Memories, David Bate, 2023

Heaven Speed the Chameleon, Calum Beaney 2021, C4 Journal


Education:

MA Photography Arts, University of Westminster, 2020

BA Hons English, Wadham College, University of Oxford


Teaching:

Arts University Bournemouth, online tutor (2024- present)

Kingston School of Art, 0.5 senior lecturer (2010-2025)

Qualifications:

Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy